Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory
Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin Doughty took a job at a crematory and turned morbid curiosity into her life's work. She cared for bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, and became an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. In this best-selling memoir, brimming with gallows humor and vivid characters, she marvels at the gruesome history of undertaking and relates her unique coming-of-age story with bold curiosity and mordant wit. By turns hilarious, dark, and uplifting, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes reveals how the fear of dying warps our society and "will make you reconsider how our culture treats the dead" (San Francisco Chronicle).
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Community Reviews
Doughty's field of expertise and death in general is something that I've never really considered (perhaps it's more accurate to say, as the author calls us out for, something that I don't LIKE to think about), but Smoke Gets In Your Eyes had me ruminating my own mortality and other's, and the impacts of the cultures surrounding death. I feel a little easier thinking about death now, and this book gave me a sense of closure on the recent deaths of loved ones that I didn't know I needed.
Highly interesting, and not at all what I thought I would be reading towards the end of the year.
AND I LOVED IT!!!
I neglected my dog to keep listening to this (like dog would be neglected).
I'm not one who is overly macabre about death but having grown up with a pretty serious illness that made the doctors at the children's hospital think I might not make it past age 8, I got acquainted with death early on in my life. Perhaps that is a good thing, since I wasn't the typical idiot teenager thinking I would live forever when I damn well knew I could die at any time. I've since settled into a relaxed relationship with death, choosing to pack as much living in as I can and knowing when it happens, I'm ok with it.
I already chose cremation as my ending. I recycle and try to save the planet and all that good stuff now, why would I clutter it up with my corpse and tomb and casket and yadda yadda? Not for me. I had read about the green funeral and I'm not opposed to that either.
Listening to this book has re-doubled my determination to just go back to nature when I'm done. Let's go to the beginning though....
Caitlin is a 20-something who is fascinated by death and ends up as a crematory operator at a mortuary. She takes us on a journey of learning all about cremation (SO many interesting facts), the funeral "business" (of which I got a bellyful when my dad passed - disgusting), and onward to her journey in becoming a mortician.
If you cannot stomach gallows humor or just basic facts about death, this book probably isn't for you (I'm looking at you, baby tossing). If you can handle it, you need to read this. It's a conversation about death that is long past due. We all will die. There is no way around this no matter how hard rich, white men try to be immortal.Caitlin gives her point of view on what a good death is and, you know, I agree with her. I appreciated being able to travel with her on her path to acceptance and helping to show others that death is not to be feared. Corpses are not something to shy away from and families should take an active part in caring for their departed.
Caitlin also has a Youtube channel called Ask A Mortician that is awesomely informative and funny. I'm now a fan for life.
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